Shower curtain assemblies are generally used in bathrooms that contain a bathtub or a shower stall. Shower curtain assemblies can include a mounting rod, which extends between the walls on either side of the shower enclosure; a fabric curtain; and a series of rings, which connect the fabric curtain to the mounting rod, and allow the curtain to move freely across the length of the rod. Rods for the shower curtain are conventionally made of lightweight aluminum or chrome-plated steel tubing and the curtain is hung by loops or hooks from the rod. Because the shower curtain is typically made of lightweight plastic sheeting, the rod is not made to be very strong. Sometimes heavier rods or hooks are used when a decorative panel and the water control panel are both suspended from the same rod and their combined weight dictates a sturdier rod.
Modifications, including a handle or a flap, have been made to conventional shower curtains to protect an injured limb from water exposure (see US 2010/0222725). However, these modifications do not address shower safety. Indeed, thousands of people fall in showers and bathtubs every year in the U.S. and have injuries serious enough to warrant medical care. These injuries run from bruises, chipped teeth and bone fractures to death. When a person is falling, reaching out for something to grab onto is instinctive. In this respect, U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,739 discloses a safety net suspended from a shower curtain rod as a structure for someone to grasp during a fall to either slow the fall or stop it before injuries occur.